Self-Designed Major

What to Know Before You Begin

As you begin thinking about a self-designed major, keep in mind that approval is not automatic. A self-designed major should include the same combination of coverage, coherence, experimentation, and rigor as a traditional major. Those majors are reviewed and approved by the entire faculty of Arts & Sciences before adoption; the review process for self-designed majors approaches that level of evaluation. What follows will help you build a successful proposal.

A few more points to consider:

While self-designed majors can be useful in preparing for your career, your proposal will be evaluated in terms of how well it reflects a coherent field of academic study.
William & Mary diplomas only state the name of the degree (e.g., Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science). Self-designed majors receive a BA or BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Self-Designed. The transcript will include a comment with the title of the self-designed major.
The most successful proposals for self-designed majors come from students who already have substantial experience in a discipline and want to explore other disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to a particular field, topic, or problem.
Students in self-designed majors must complete every class on their course list. Changes to that list must be approved ahead of time by the advisor and the Vice-Dean for Arts & Humanities & Interdisciplinary Studies.
If you have questions about whether a self-designed major is right for you, consult with the Advising Center (TAC). They will also be able to help find advisors and to share examples of previous proposals.